Well, many websites, especially streaming services block users with Croatian IP addresses. With a VPN, you can obtain a non-Croatian IP address allowing you to access any website in the world and at the same time secure your Internet connections.

Below we take a look at some of the top VPN options that allow you to bypass internet restrictions and stay safe online.

Top VPNs for ​Croatia (In a Nutshell)

Why You May Need a VPN in Croatia?

Whether you live in Croatia or are just visiting, there are a number of reasons why you should get a VPN.

Privacy and Anonymity

Your ISP may be logging your records and data. In Croatia, the government retains the power to spy on residents at any given time.

Even if you are not engaging in any questionable behaviour. I’m sure many will agree that the idea of being watched isn’t appealing.

Wi-Fi Security

Public Wi-Fi hotspots like those found in schools, airports and your favourite coffee shop can be quite convenient. They allow us to stay connected and work on the go.

However, they can sometimes come at a heavy cost. Most of these networks are often unsecured and as a result, can expose you to hackers and other malicious individuals.

Thankfully, you can avoid all of these risks with a VPN. These services obscure all your traffic, protecting your personal communications and sensitive data such as passwords and credit card information.

Torrenting

While torrenting in itself is not illegal, downloading copyrighted material is a crime. But given the nature of most torrent sites, it can be hard to distinguish between the files that are legal to download and those that aren’t.

It’s, therefore, important to use a VPN whenever you are accessing sites like Piratebay. Without a VPN, anyone connected to the same torrent swarm will be able to see your IP address.

And with the authorities and copyright trolls always on the lookout for copyright infringers, you can easily find yourself in legal jeopardy or faced with hefty fines.

Bypass Geo-Restriction

In addition to masking your identity, a VPN will allow you to unblock geo-restricted sites.

The software allows you to spoof your location by assigning you an IP address from a different region making it appear as if you are accessing the internet from that particular location.

This allows access to sites such as US Netflix and BBC iPlayer that are inaccessible form Croatia.

Avoid ISP Throttling

Most ISPs apply selective bandwidth throttling on torrent traffic. Thankfully, with the right VPN, you can bypass ISP bandwidth throttling.

Since a VPN encrypts your entire internet traffic, it becomes impossible for your ISP to identify torrent traffic from the rest of your internet traffic.

Is it Legal to Use a Virtual Private Network in Croatia?

It’s currently completely legal to use a VPN on your home or work devices in Croatia.

Thus far there have been no reports of any government interference, meaning you can freely use them to surf the web, email, stream video and conduct business online.

How to Choose the Best VPN Provider?

When choosing a VPN, it’s vital you take the following into consideration.

Speed

While some VPNs are incredibly fast, some come with connection speeds so sluggish you are virtually unable to do anything. Browsing becomes painfully slow and streaming becomes almost impossible.

Generally, a VPN will slow down your internet speed as a result of the encryption process and tunneling involved. This is why it’s important to review the different speed rates and choose a service provider that can ensure only a subtle change in speed.

Server Coverage

Opt for a VPN that has a good number of servers in different regions across the globe. Not only does this give you a good choice of fast servers, but it also makes it easier to unblock restricted content.

VPN Protocols

VPNs employ a mixture of different protocols including L2TP, PPTP, IKEv2, and OpenVPN. Each has its advantages and disadvantages and you should opt for a protocol that matches both your speed and security needs.

OpenVPN remains the single most recommended protocol and offers a good balance of speed and security.

Cross-Platform Support

Want to run the application on a range of different devices?

If so, you should look for a VPN provider that supports all major platforms and has easy-to-use clients for Windows, MacOS, Android, and IOS.

Simultaneous Connections

This refers to the number of connected devices using the same, single account.

Choosing a VPN that supports a high number of simultaneous connections will allow you to safeguard multiple devices on a single subscription.

Customer Support

Reliable customer support can prove invaluable should you run into some kind of connection problems.

Check to see if the provider offers 24/7 support.

The ​Best ​​Providers in 2019

1. NordVPN

NordVPN is one of the most popular VPN service providers in the world. The VPN gives users access to over 4500 servers spread across the Americas and Europe as well as other locations around the world.

This makes the VPN ideal for unblocking sites and accessing geo-restricted content.

The provider maintains a strict zero logs policy and has dedicated servers and specialty servers such as Onion over IP and obfuscated servers for maximum privacy and security. The VPN allows P2P sharing and torrenting and thanks to their proprietary SmartPlay technology, you can enjoy lag-free streaming.

The VPN offers great connection speed and boasts a guaranteed 99% uptime. Users are provided with apps for Windows, Linux and MacOS as well as Android and IOS smartphones.

Cons

2. ExpressVPN

A great VPN option for Croatia. ExpressVPN has over 2000 servers located in an unprecedented 94 countries. Whether you want a server in Zagreb, London, New York or any other major city in the world, ExpressVPN offers it all. What’s more, the VPN service also maintains a ‘no logs’ policy.

What we liked the most about ExpressVPN is its speed. The VPN is extremely fast and offers unlimited bandwidth and an unbeatable uptime reliability. With regards to security, ExpressVPN comes with strong AES-256 encryption as well as OpenVPN support.

Thanks to the VPN’s automatic kill switch and DNS leak protection, you can rest assured that your privacy is protected at all times.

ExpressVPN’s wide server coverage also makes it ideal for bypassing geo-blocks, and we found it quite effective when accessing US Netflix and UK’s BBC iPlayer. Additional features that you might be interested in include port-forwarding and split-tunneling. The latter allows you to route some of your traffic through a VPN while giving the rest direct access the internet.

With a single ExpressVPN account you can cover up to 3 devices at the same time. There are apps for Windows, Mac, Linux, Mac, Android, iOS and routers as well as browser extensions for Chrome, Firefox and Safari. The provider has a dedicated customer service team and users can access support via live chat and email.

Pricing remains the only notable con. Its price of $12.95 on the month-to-month subscription is not the most affordable. Others plans include the 6-month plan at $9.99 per month and the annual plan at $8.32 per month.

Regardless of your pricing plan, you’ll get a 30-day money-back guarantee allowing you to try the service risk-free.

Pros

2000 plus servers

Powerful AES-256 encryption

Fast speed

P2P

No logging

Automatic Kill Switch

Split-tunneling

Port forwarding

24/7 customer service

30-day money-back guarantee

Cons

3. Perfect Privacy

Perfect Privacy has been around for quite some time now. The VPN provides leading online privacy solutions including dedicated bare-metal servers in 23 countries in the world. If you are a privacy-focused user, you will be thrilled to know the company does not store any logs.

The VPN offers both IPv4 and IPv6 addresses and allows multi-hop VPN chains with cascading up to 4 servers. Additionally, users are given a wide choice of protocols including the safe and proven OpenVPN and IPsec standards. This, combined with advanced features such as DNS leak protection makes Perfect Privacy a great choice for Croatian users looking to maintain maximum anonymity when online.

With Perfect Privacy, you also get to enjoy features like NeuroRouting and TrackStop, which actively block tracking and phishing domains.

With the privacy and safety solutions on offer, it’s no surprise that the VPN services ranks among the most expensive. The VPN costs $15.20 per month on a month to month basis. Additional plans include $14 per month 3-month plan. $12.80 per month 6-month plan, $11.70 per month 12-month plan and $10.50 per month 24-month plan.

While the prices are obviously a major obstacle, Perfect Privacy allows you an unlimited number of simultaneous connections. You can connect all your devices including those of your friends and family members at no extra cost.

Pros

Unlimited number of simultaneous connections

DNS leak protection

Integrated firewall protection

Port forwarding

No logs policy

TrackStop ad blocker

Cons

4. VPN.ac

VPN.ac is a fast and secure VPN service based in Romania. Although it’s not the most well-known VPN out there, it comes with impressive security features. The VPN has a good number of servers spread across 21 countries around the world.

VPN.ac does not keep activity logs but the most privacy-oriented users may find it concerning that the company keeps connection logs. However, these are only kept for purposes of network optimization and the company erases them on a daily basis.

There are apps for Windows, Mac, iOS and Android and you can connect up to 6 devices at the same time. Lastly, the company provides direct access to technicians enabling them to easily obtain one-to-one security and privacy support.

You will be charged $9 for the monthly plan, $8 per month for the 3-month plan, $6 per month for the 6-month plan and $4.8 per month for the annual subscription.

Pros

Available in multiple countries

Multiple VPN protocols

AES-GCM encryption

No activity logs

6 simultaneous connections

DNS leak protection

Cons

5. Buffered

A relatively new VPN service, Buffered stands out as one of the best VPNs in 2019. We were thoroughly impressed by the speed and reliability of this Gibraltar-based VPN service. The company maintains their own servers and uses strong OpenVPN standard with AES-256 encryption which is not only fast but also reliably secure.

The VPN has servers in 45 locations around the globe and the company is always upgrading and adding to their servers on a regular base. The only major downside is that the provider keeps some logs temporarily but again this only applies to connection logs and not activity logs.

A single Buffered account supports up to 5 devices simultaneously and apps are available for Windows, Linux, Mac, Android, IOS and routers. Currently, the VPN is priced at $7.62 per month for the annual plan, $9.99 for the bi-annual plan, and a monthly rate of $12.99.

Cons

Conclusion

All the VPNs in this guide have been carefully selected and are perfect for Croatia.

However, we found NordVPN to be a level above the rest. The VPN has an amazing number of servers including 12 in Croatia alone.

With NordVPN you can browse the internet anonymously and ensure that your online security is well taken care of. The VPN offers fast speeds and has an unbeatable 99% uptime reliability.

Free vs Paid VPNs

It’s only natural to be tempted to use a free VPN. Although some perform surprisingly well, we advise against it.

Most free VPNs come with poor security features and their connection speeds can be painfully slow. And with premium services such as Netflix and BBC iPlayer increasingly working to prevent unauthorized access, most free VPNs are easily detected and blocked.

Additionally, free VPNs are known to log user activity and sell it to advertisers and other third parties in a bid to raise their revenue. It’s also worth noting that some come bundled with malware.

If you are looking to stay safe and secure when online, we recommend getting a reputable and privacy-focused VPN service.